Weidlinger Principal Co-Chairs Dynamic Facades Conference

Weidlinger Associates, Inc., helped originate and organize the Metals in Construction magazine 2013 Facades Conference, “Dynamic Facades: Architecture’s New Frontier.” Weidlinger Principal Dr. Mohammed Ettouney is co-chair of the steering committee for the event, along with Gary Higbee, AIA, Director of Industry Development for the Ornamental Metal Institute of New York (OMINY). The conference, presented by the Architectural Engineering Institute of the American Society of Civil Engineers and OMINY, will take place February 13, 2013, at the McGraw-Hill Auditorium in New York City.

The daylong event will focus on new developments in the growing area of dynamic, or “active,” facades, now widely recognized as an integral component of high-performance building systems. Facade-related design choices—most notably, dynamic fenestration (the design and placement of windows) and ventilation—can dramatically affect the performance of a building and its occupants.

“Far from being purely aesthetic, facades are increasingly used to support sustainable, energy-efficient design and improve worker productivity by regulating the entire building environment,” said Ettouney. “The technology is advancing very quickly, and as a major contributor, Weidlinger recognized the importance of sharing information about this rapidly expanding field.” Many of the firm’s designs and upgrades for buildings at the World Trade Center site, federal office buildings around the country, and embassy structures throughout the world epitomize the state of the art in dynamic facades.

Guest speakers representing a number of leading architectural and engineering firms will address a range of topics, including the changing role of the building envelope, dynamic fenestration and ventilation, types of active facades, developments and innovations in materials and design tools, and monitoring and control systems. Other topics will be the importance of integrating the management, coordination, and sequencing of active-facade design and the costs and benefits of dynamic facades. Case studies based on real-life projects will be presented to illustrate strategies for assessing the economic, environmental, and social impacts of dynamic-facade design for both new and existing buildings. Presentations will be followed by a moderated panel discussion.

For more information about the conference, including registration details, visit http://ominy.org/events/metals_in_construction_magazine_2013_dynamic_facades_conference.